So far it's nothing more than a picture on a MySpace page, but this is the new thing from M-Audio. Sensibly, given their enthusiasm for cheap plastic and ugly design, they've decided to photograph it in the dark, although it must be said those coloured lights and glowing buttons and knobs are pretty. Concensus of opinion seems to think it's a dedicated controller for Ableton Live - with what looks like 10 clip launch buttons (maybe in four banks?). Perhaps they've done some Behringer-style borrowing of the Faderfox form factor and added a Fisher-Price lighting scheme. An Ableton controller would make sense, as M-Audio own distribute Ableton (and so they're both part of the Avid empire, along with Digidesign/Pro Tools and Sibelius). Presumably we'll know everything on January 18th, when NAMM opens. (Thanks Danny)UPDATE: See, this is why I write about stupid videos and weird-looking synths. Turns out Ableton might be divorcing M-Audio, so this is unlikely to be an Ableton controller, and more likely to be connected with M-Audio's Torq DJ-ing software (produced by their 'SynchroScience' department) Thanks to everyone in the comments...UPDATE 2: Here it is. It's called Torq Exponent and it's proper Fisher Price... (Thanks Tomasz)

Posted by Tom Whitwell.

Comments:

M-Audio "owns" Ableton? Wow, that's some news. Are you sure about that? Last I heard, a German bank was the single largest owner of Ableton.

Makes sense. M-Audio may as well get in on producing a controller for Live 6.

Ableton is perfect for mixing audio and mp3s, for mashup and regular dj-ing, etc. They've taken a huge chunk away from Native Intstruments' Traktor/Final Scratch. Last I heard NI is dropping Final Scratch for 2007.

As far as Ableton being owned by M-Audio, etc, I think they've just got the right to distribute them in the US [possibly elsewhere] which is why you see them advertised together in Remix, Future Music, etc.

At the very least there's an association with Avid and the rest as there's an M-Audio configured version of Pro Tools (M-Powered) for PC.

Think about it, the only thought out dj mixer/midi controllers/audio interface is the Hercules, the behringer joint, and the A&H Xone. Be nice to have one in between the behringer and the out of price reach Xone. As for the looks, I dont give a fuck if it looks like lite brite, Ill rock it with 2 KP3's on each side with some fuckin xmas lites wrapped around my 1/4" cables, fuckin Brits always complaining. If its M-audio sure you might not make a "pro" polished album, but for live use...tis the dogs bollocks..if its even a dj/midi thingy! I'm sure it will have more stage appeal than a diy job controller that looks like a a homemade terrorist dirty bomb detonator.

This isn't going to be an Ableton Live controller. It's going to be made for TORQ whicj is an M-Audio product. The last poster who said Ableton is taking over it's own US distribution is 100% correct. This probably does do away with their relationship to M-Audio. Why would they make a controller for the application now?

They should have created one years ago. They would have sold a lot more of them then vs. trying to do it now.

And the arguement can be made that there is NO controller that can be created for Ableton Live simply because so many people use it so many different ways. It's not black and white like Traktor or Torq.

I haven't said this ever but Music Thing clearly miss-fired with this headline.

Guys, use your brains...if you look at the buttons on this unit, and look at the buttons in the interface of M-Audio's Torq software, then you'll know this is more than likely a controller for Torq, not Ableton.

I noticed the jabs a M-Audio build quality. I am totally in agreement... my old Oxygen 8 was a piece of crap. The difference between the Oxygen 8 and my Novation is NIGHT AND DAY. My M-Audio soundcard is also a cheap plastic box whose drivers barely work. Hope they put some real money into their industrial design if they plan on creating a dj mixer.

If you want an affordable controller with endless encoders get a Behringer BCR-2000. Build quality sucks, but you are going to get that if you want "affordable" (which seems to mean "absurdly cheap" nowadays). A "high quality" controller with "high quality" endless encoders would likely be a little over $1700 (based on current prices for encoders and standeard markup). The Behringer is $129. Bang. So I bought three - two as back ups.

It's that time of year again when a bunch of clueless fuckwits see a carefully marketed, yet blissfully obscure picture of something they know NOTHING about and have NEVER seen and then go on to post ad infinitum about how good it is, what it does do, what it doesn't do, how shit it is, how it signals the end of mankind as we know it and how they'd never be dumb enough to buy it, yet they will be the first cunts to blow their wad when they see what it really is and then they'll infest the net forums with a vast pile of turgid bollox, having verbal pork sword fights with each other and gaining the ability to forsee a company's future and where it went wrong and how they could've done better and they will join new forums and post 1500 posts on the subject before they've even laid their sweaty little cum stained hands on a single working example and they will claim to know someone in the industry or they had coffee with the CEO of said company at NAMM when in actual fact they have a complete lack of social skills and would run and hide in some seminar by Logic just to look like they are a "professional" musician and then it will be time for Summer NAMM and it will all start again.

doepfer used to make a typically doepfer "built like a tank" little midi controller with 4 banks of 16 endless rotary controllers. It's called a 'pocket dial'. you might find a dealer which still has one or you might find one used. It's 'absurdly cheap' and also a great product.

"It's that time of year again when a bunch of clueless fuckwits see a carefully marketed, yet blissfully obscure picture of something they know NOTHING about and have NEVER seen and then go on to post ad infinitum about how good it is, what it does do, what it doesn't do, how shit it is, how it signals the end of mankind as we know it and how they'd never be dumb enough to buy it, yet they will be the first cunts to blow their wad when they see what it really is and then they'll infest the net forums with a vast pile of turgid bollox, having verbal pork sword fights with each other and gaining the ability to forsee a company's future and where it went wrong and how they could've done better and they will join new forums and post 1500 posts on the subject before they've even laid their sweaty little cum stained hands on a single working example and they will claim to know someone in the industry or they had coffee with the CEO of said company at NAMM when in actual fact they have a complete lack of social skills and would run and hide in some seminar by Logic just to look like they are a "professional" musician and then it will be time for Summer NAMM and it will all start again."

And yet you click your greasy fingers on each and every one of these threads. You eat up every single word.

Just got home from NAMM. This is a dedicated DJ controller for M-Audio's 'Torq' DJ Software. They had this little guy on lockdown, bringing it out of the case for only a couple demos. My guess is that it's still a prototype, and from the looks of the demos, not the best interface announced at NAMM.